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Soldiers, police plan reconcilliation after clash

PAPUA New Guinea Defence Force Commander Gilbert Toropo has assured Port Moresby residents that the standoff between soldiers and police has been settled with a proposed reconciliation ceremony being planned.

Brig-Gen Toropo assured that the incident had been promptly addressed at the highest level and normalcy had been restored.

"As you all know, there are few major activities ahead of us such as the 2015 Pacific Games, the 2017 National Elections and the 2018 international APEC leaders’ summit. Therefore both forces cannot go on like this as they would play an important role during those events," he said.

He said he had been in conversation with the Police Commissioner to settle the issues in order to prepare for the upcoming major events.

"We would like to give confidence and assure city residents, business communities and the diplomatic partners in Port Moresby that the city is safe and they can go about their normal business," Commander Toropo added.

He said the issues had been effectively addressed at the highest level and normalcy has been restored resulting in soldiers going about doing their normal duties whilst the joint investigation continues.

The clash, which lasted about four hours on Saturday, was a frightening experience for residents in Boroko, when firearms were used.